"What happens essentially is we shut off the cooling mechanism but your fan continues to run and it's for a 15 minute period. The fan allows the air to be circulated so you have a cool feeling in the house," said Alliant spokesman Ryan Stensland.

Stensland says Alliant has run its program since the mid 1990s.

About 48,000 customers in Iowa take part.

"You're helping us by controlling the demand for energy. That's what it boils down to - ways to control demand. We continue to see increases and every step we can take reduces the need for power plants and merchants," said Stensland.

Both MidAmerican and Alliant say you can save about $40 per year on your power bill through the cycling program.

Meantime, Stensland says work still continues in some areas to replace damaged equipment from the ice storm that hit two years ago this week.